UNCW men notch easy win against UNCG

UNCW shot 54 percent in the first half, built a 21-point lead and had no trouble with UNC Greensboro in a 87-73 victory Wednesday in Trask Coliseum.

By Brian MullBrian.Mull@StarNewsOnline.com

The 3-pointers started swishing for UNCW guard Craig Ponder in warm-ups on Wednesday night. When his first one fell in the game, he knew a good night was ahead.In a torrid first half, Ponder was perfect on five 3-point attempts, Keith Rendleman dominated the inside again and the Seahawks remained unbeaten in Trask Coliseum with a convincing 87-73 victory over UNC Greensboro.Rendleman turned in his 26th career double-double (23 points, 12 rebounds) and Ponder finished with 19 points as the Seahawks improved to 5-6 in front of 3,497 fans.Rendleman buried 15-foot jumpers, scored on strong moves in the post, and slammed down two ferocious dunks to help UNCW shoot a season-high 50.8 percent. Behind Ponder's effort, the Seahawks also matched a season best with nine 3-pointers."My main thing was just to post up on the block, and coaches told me to face up and drive by them," Rendleman said. "They didn't come with the double-team as much as I'm used to and I took advantage of that."Ponder knew driving opportunities would be there against the Spartans, one of the worst defensive teams in the nation. His penetration forced the defenders to give him room."We did a good job of spacing on the offensive end and that got everybody a lot of open shots," Ponder said. "Our coaches boosted our confidence and we were able to take them off the dribble."With Christmas break on the horizon, UNCW coach Buzz Peterson was concerned. But he liked what he saw, especially a 17-4 first half run fueled by defense that sparked the Seahawks to a 49-28 halftime lead, their largest this season.UNCW held UNCG (2-7) to a season-low four 3-pointers and 36.8 percent shooting."I tell you what I like this team, I really like what they're doing," Peterson said. "They're coming around. If we can keep our focus on that defensive end we're going to keep getting better and better."Former New Hanover star Freddie Jackson continued to solidify his role as the Seahawks' defensive stopper. During his 26 minutes, he hounded UNCG guard Trevis Simpson, who finished with 19 points despite rarely getting a clean look when Jackson was defending him. Jackson also added 14 points and five rebounds."Playing good defense gives the whole team the energy that we need because we get a turnover or play good defense and force a bad shot," Jackson said. "Then we get out on the break and that's when we're at our best."UNCG coach Wes Miller felt Rendleman's inside presence made UNCW difficult to defend. He didn't like the way his team guarded the Seahawks screens or how they responded after falling behind by double figures."I thought they did a really, really good job of establishing Rendleman early," Miller said. "It's pretty simple. You look at the stat sheet, and you've got to prepare for that guy. But we did not do a very good job."Cedrick Williams tied his career high with 15 rebounds and also blocked four shots for the Seahawks, who headed home for the holiday. They'll return Dec. 26th to prepare for a Dec. 29th game at Campbell, in their final nonconference tuneup before CAA action begins.